We Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday!

Here at Penny Masquerade headquarters Christmas is huge. It's not only our busiest time of the year but also our favourite time of year. What makes it even better for us is that we get to start preparing in July! Some would call us mad, but we love designing our Autumn/Winter pieces in the height of summer - it gets us all excited. The other thing we love about about this time of year is undertaking festive DIY craft projects. We've found some amazing tutorials this year and wanted to share them with you.

The first is this fantastic handmade mini Christmas tree idea. This tutorial is great for anyone on a budget and the results are stunning. You can find the tutorial at Shauna Mailloux's blog.
 

Our second festive craft idea is from the Maya Made blog. She has a great tutorial on how to make this lovely advent calendar. And guess what? It's only made from toilet roll tubes! *GASP!*

Thirdly, we have a simple but effective idea from Vicky Dar. There's no tutorial for this as it's pretty self-explanatory but the results are beautiful.

Last but not least we have a great tutorial from The Sweetest Occasion which shows you how to make these beautiful glittery jars! Who doesn't love glitter?!

Enjoy! And remember, if you're not making much mess, you're not having enough fun! xx

Behind The Scenes - The Autumn Winter 2012 Photo Shoot

A few weeks ago we did our Autumn/Winter photo shoot with our stunning model Tanya - if you're a Penny Masquerade aficionado you may have already seen some of the results over at www.pennymasquerade.com. We split the shot between outdoors and in so we'd have a variety of settings and looks to choose from. We enlisted the help of our wonderful make-up artist Sam and photographer Andy and the results were fantastic. It was a great team effort and it was so worth the hours of preparation and hard work that everyone put into it. We thought you'd like to see a bit of what went on behind the scenes and the outcome of all that work!

Make-Up:

The Shoot:

The Results:

 

There are still plenty of photos we haven't shown you, but they will all be making an appearance on the Penny Masquerade website over the Christmas period. We'd love to hear your thoughts on this little selection though. Hope you like them! xx

P.s. Don't forget to enter the November giveaway below for your chance to win our brand new Antler necklace!

Delightful Christmas Packaging

Sometimes a flimsy polythene bag just doesn't cut it. You - like most other discerning shoppers out there - would no doubt love for your online purchases to arrive beautifully packaged in a way that shows just how much love, care and attention has gone into the item. It just makes you feel special. We're proud to say we've never used flimsy polythene bags or uninspiring packaging in any shape or form. We believe in presenting our jewellery in the most beautiful way possible, using the most eco-friendly materials. Every piece in our collection is sent to the recipient in a reusable organza bag, which is then parcelled up in a hand-printed brown-paper envelope, tied up with string and finished with a dried rosebud. And until the 25th of December, we'll be adding a gorgeous little cluster of sleigh bells to each and every parcel. Perfect for giving as a Christmas gift or keeping as a little present to yourself!


P.s. Don't forget to enter the November giveaway below for your chance to win our brand new Antler necklace!

The Autumn/Winter 2012 Collection

Just on the off-chance that you hadn't noticed the huge influx of new items over at www.pennymasquerade.com and www.pennmasquerade.etsy.com we thought we'd better mention it. We've added over 50 new items to the site, including vintage lockets, quirky necklaces, pocket watch jewellery, unusual rings, dainty bracelets and gorgeous earrings. The Autumn/Winter collection is inspired by woodland creatures, vintage illustrations, nautical niceties, English eccentricity, geometric design, the art deco period and all things tribal. Prices range from £5 and £26 so whatever your budget and whoever you're buying for, you'll be sure to find the perfect piece. Happy shopping!

P.s. Don't forget to enter the November giveaway below for your chance to win our brand new Antler necklace!

Congratulations...

...to Glo! You have won the October Giveaway and your Dapper Cadaver skull earrings will be with you as soon as I receive your address details! Don't worry if you didn't win, there will be another chance to win a piece of jewellery very soon so watch this space! xx